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Media type:
E-Article
Title:
The Effects of Hormonally Induced Oviposition on Egg Viability in the Common Snapping Turtle Chelydra serpentina
Contributor:
Gantz, Donald T.
imprint:
Herpetologists' League, 2000
Published in:Herpetologica
Language:
English
ISSN:
0018-0831;
1938-5099
Origination:
Footnote:
Description:
<p>We collected eggs of the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) over two consecutive years both from gravid females hormonally induced to oviposit and from newly (<12 h) constructed nests. Eggs were incubated in the laboratory under wet and dry conditions to determine whether the method of procurement influenced egg viability. Net gain in egg mass during incubation and hatching success (egg survivorship) were used as measures of egg viability. Hatchling body size was also analyzed for effects due to egg procurement method. Eggs collected from nests gained significantly more mass during the incubation period than did eggs collected from females hormonally induced to oviposit. This difference may have resulted from the particular way that eggs were collected. Females were induced to oviposit directly into water and, therefore, their eggs may have had higher water potential at the start of incubation than eggs collected from nests. Our analyses were unable to detect differences in hatching success and hatchling body size between the egg procurement methods.</p>